Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/52321
research "In both cases, the bribe context was purely hypotheti- cal, and yet the two groups' voting intentions differed dramatically," says Moore. They found that 37 percent of respondents who were asked the negative question said they would be less likely to vote for that politician, while 83 percent of respondents who were asked the positive question said they would be more likely to vote for that politician. "Political pollsters are very aware that the language they use in so-called 'push polling' can not only influence the way questions are answered," says Moore, "they can also push people away from one candidate and pull them toward another." Hypothetical Influences THE UPCOMING U.S. election has inspired research about how pollsters influence respondents' answers through the use of hypothetical questions. The four researchers explored how the use of hypothetical "What if…?" questions—not only in political polling, but also in areas such as market research and jury selection—can skew results. The study was con- ducted by Sarah Moore, assis- tant professor of marketing at Canada's University of Alberta School of Business in Edmon- ton; David Neal, professor of psychology at the University of Southern California in Los But when people are made aware of the potential for biased thinking, the effect disappears. The research- ers asked two groups of potential jurors waiting at a courthouse to answer hypothetical questions about a defendant's gang membership. The first group was told that the questions were part of a simulated jury selec- tion process; the second, that the questions had been submitted by the attorneys for the defense and prosecu- tion and should not be used to draw conclusions about the case. The researchers found that those in the first group were more likely to want to issue guilty verdicts and Political pollsters are very aware that the language they use in so-called "push polling" can push people away from one candidate and pull them toward another. Angeles; Gavan Fitzsimons, professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina; and Baba Shiv, professor of marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in California. The team completed a series of surveys that asked participants hypothetical questions. Some questions were framed positively, others negatively. For example, researchers asked participants whether they would be less likely to vote for a certain politician if they learned he had been convicted of accepting a bribe; they asked another group whether they would be more likely to vote for a politician if they learned he had refused to accept a bribe. 54 January/February 2012 BizEd recommend harsher sentences. Those in the second group, who were warned not to allow the questions to sway their judgment, corrected for their biases. They were less likely to find the defendant guilty and more likely to recommend shorter sentences. The researchers hope that the results of this study will make people more aware of how pollsters and oth- ers attempt to manipulate responses. "Public education is needed to raise awareness of how hypothetical ques- tions can sway our actions," says Shiv. "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: How and When Hypo- thetical Questions Influence Behavior" is forthcom- ing in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. BLEND/GLOW IMAGES